Two Call-Reraises in One Hand

Whenever you see a call-reraise after the flop, your poker senses should rise to full alert. What kind of hand can a person have to call a bet and then raise later in the same betting round? We will look at that and then discuss a recent hand I played in which this rare play happened twice.

Call-reraises before the flop represent a somewhat conventional strategy in some aggressive games. Usually this play is called the limp-reraise, and typically the limp-reraiser has a big hand, such as pocket aces. Some people use the bet a little more liberally to vary their play, but aces are still the most likely holding.

Post-flop After the flop, though, the call-reraise becomes far less common. The player has a hand that is too powerful to raise, for fear of driving out the remainder of the field. However, when someone else raises, and the betting returns, he now believes the rest of the players are committed to the hand, and reraises. You will most commonly see this sequence with one of two hands:

• A set: A player has a pocket pair and hits a set. The flop is not threatening, and the player decides to slow-play by just calling. Now, a player on his left raises, and there are some callers. The player with the set can no longer resist and reraises to sweeten an already nice pot that he expects to win. If you see this play in most games, you can put the player on a set and proceed accordingly.

• A big flush draw: A player with a suited ace hits a flush draw. Someone bets into him. He is reluctant to raise because he wants to keep players in on the flop to increase the size of the pot in the event that he hits the flush. Again, the pot is raised on his left, and several players call. He now realizes that he is getting current pot odds to increase the pot size on the flop to make his draw. He will make a flush one time in three, and if there are more than two opponents, he will be gaining expected value (EV) by raising here.

It is very rare to see this sequence on the turn, and it almost always means the call-reraiser has the nuts and did not want to lose the players behind him. And on the river, I had seen the call-reraise only once in my career, until this hand occurred:

The hand: In a loose-passive $30$60 game, a late-position player posted a big blind. Holding 6-6 in early position, I limped in, violating two of my general rules: Don't limp and don't play small pocket pairs in early position. I believed the passive nature of this particular game, plus the extra blind, plus the fact that this was not the toughest lineup, made this hand playable. Poker is totally circumstantial, and this particular circumstance made this play reasonable.

Two other players called, the poster checked, the button called, and the small blind raised. This woman (we will call her Rita) is a fairly tight and straightforward player, so the raise almost certainly showed A-K suited or a large pocket pair. The big blind folded and the rest of us called. Needless to say, I was rooting for a 6 to appear. (So are you, because otherwise, this column would end right here.)

Call-reraise No. 1: We saw a flop of J 6 2. Good for me! Predictably, Rita bet out. My first decision had arrived: call or raise. Generally, I play small sets fast. I know lots of players think it is clever to call here and try to bring the rest of the players along, but I disagree. First, there was a possible flush draw. A case can be made to wait and raise the turn if the third club does not hit, but that is a better play if I have position on the field. Also, I might get a hand with a single club in it to fold, whereas they might call one bet here and make runner-runner flush. In addition, lots of players these days put in excessive action on the flop (the cheap betting round) and slow way down on the turn. I believed I was a heavy favorite with my middle set, so I might just as well raise and get the extra action that might be coming my way.

Indeed, this happened, as, after a fold, the next player (we will call him Mario) reraised. While he might have a jack (with a big kicker), lots of players make this three-bet play with a flush draw. I tentatively put him on one of those two hand types. Everyone folded back to Rita, who called. None of this seemed threatening, so I continued to believe I had the best hand. Perhaps now I should call and try to check-raise on the turn if a club does not come. I decided this was a bad idea for a couple of reasons. First, the turn might not get bet if a club came and I waited to check-raise. Second, I wanted people to realize I had a set. The pot was already quite large, and I would have been very happy if everyone folded. If they didn't (and they rarely do), I wanted them to pay now for their draws, especially Rita, who probably had aces or kings. So, I made it four bets.

At Bellagio, five bets is a cap. Mario called, but now Rita raised! Whoa! What's this? What could she have to bet, flat-call two raises, and then put in the fifth bet when I raised again? The most likely hand was J-J. It was possible that she was reading the hand differently than I was (for example, deciding I might have A-J and Mario has clubs), but then why didn't she raise the last time it was her turn? No, her call-reraise really bothered me. I called, but I was suddenly worried.

Call-reraise No. 2: We all looked at a red 5 on the turn, which figured to help no one. Rita bet out, I called (I certainly was not going to raise here, fearing J-J as her most likely – but far from only possible – hand), and Mario called. Maybe he was on a club draw after all, or maybe he was just as worried about Rita's betting sequence as I was.

The river delivered another 5, which changed nothing as far as I was concerned. If I was ahead, I still was, and if I was behind, it did not help me to make a full house. Rita bet out again. I now considered raising, but I found two reasons to call. First, if Rita did have J-J, I was behind. Second, if I was ahead, I might get an overcall from Mario if indeed he had A-J, for example, while if I raised, I might get no calls at all (if Rita had, say, the A K). After my call, Mario suddenly raised! What is this now? Surely he does not have pocket jacks. And he certainly can't have 5-5 from his previous betting. No, he must have a hand like the A 5 and think his three fives are good. Rita thought about this for a while, mumbled something about a 5, and called. Well, that took care of the chance she had J-J. But that meant I must have the best hand after all.

So, I got to make the very rare call-reraise on the river. Mario called, Rita folded, and I won the pot. This was a very unusual hand.

What did they really have? Since they both showed their hands, I can tell you. Rita had Q-Q. I have no idea why she called three bets and then made it five bets later on the same round. She must have decided at some point on the flop that she had not raised enough with the hand, and decided to raise some more. Since I had made it four bets, I am not sure it was the right play, but it sure got my attention.

Mario had 2-2, flopping bottom set. Again, his betting was quite inconsistent. If he thought his set was good, why did he just call my reraise on the flop, and why did he call the turn? If he thought it was not good, how did it get better just because the two fives came? I think he just felt he had to raise when he made a full house, even though it did not really change the relative value of his hand.

So, there was a hand with two call-reraises in it. I cannot recall ever seeing one before. And remember, if you ever do come across a call-reraise, you can be sure that player has (or at least thinks he has) a very powerful holding.